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Kevin de Bruyne has opened-up on his ill-fated spell at Chelsea, as the Manchester City ace insists the Blues ‘don’t understand’ the plight of players in their loan system.
At 20-years-old, Chelsea signed the Belgian from boyhood club Genk for £6.7m – but immediately packed him off to Werder Bremen.
De Bruyne remained in the first-team squad for the 2013/14 season under Jose Mourinho, but quickly realised his ten goals and nine assists for the Bundesliga side the previous term had gone unnoticed – only making nine appearances for the West London side.
He left, and a breakout spell at Wolfsburg and five seasons at Man City later – de Bruyne is a double Premier League winner, one of the world’s best and the Blues’ ‘one that got away.’
‘Wolfsburg was different because I just wanted a new challenge and not be loaned out because that system is really tough for people,’ he said on BT Sport’s ‘What I Wore’ show.
‘They don’t always understand – when you do a few loan spells and come back to the team you know people are still doubting, saying “he’s a young player, is he going to make it.”
‘In my mind I had played four years in Belgium, a year in Germany, had 160-180 games under my belt plus national team experience, so you’re not thinking like a young boy at 18 anymore who is just happy to get a game.
‘I didn’t get a chance at Chelsea and I decided I needed a new team. Wolfsburg really wanted me.’
At 20-years-old, Chelsea signed the Belgian from boyhood club Genk for £6.7m – but immediately packed him off to Werder Bremen.
De Bruyne remained in the first-team squad for the 2013/14 season under Jose Mourinho, but quickly realised his ten goals and nine assists for the Bundesliga side the previous term had gone unnoticed – only making nine appearances for the West London side.
He left, and a breakout spell at Wolfsburg and five seasons at Man City later – de Bruyne is a double Premier League winner, one of the world’s best and the Blues’ ‘one that got away.’
‘Wolfsburg was different because I just wanted a new challenge and not be loaned out because that system is really tough for people,’ he said on BT Sport’s ‘What I Wore’ show.
‘They don’t always understand – when you do a few loan spells and come back to the team you know people are still doubting, saying “he’s a young player, is he going to make it.”
‘In my mind I had played four years in Belgium, a year in Germany, had 160-180 games under my belt plus national team experience, so you’re not thinking like a young boy at 18 anymore who is just happy to get a game.
‘I didn’t get a chance at Chelsea and I decided I needed a new team. Wolfsburg really wanted me.’
